London Lates

So, here we have round two of my fashion month party diaries! And before you ask, yes, I will be continuing to give them naff names with matching consonants because I just can’t resist. By the final days of NYFW I’ll admit that I’d started to crave early nights, bed socks and camomile tea but there’s no rest for the wicked, especiallu least not during fashion week. Once home, washed, unpacked and vaguely rested I checked out my London party schedule and suddenly the idea of curling up on the sofa for a Gossip Girl marathon didn’t seem quite so appealing. Much like the shows themselves, just as I start to think that they do after dark antics that little bit better stateside, London proves oh-so-wrong in the very best possible way. This season’s line up certainly included some fabulous ones, kicking off with the M.A.C x Miles Aldridge dinner at Somerset House.

Having visited the exhibition mere weeks before and waxed lyrical about how A-MAZING it was, how insanely talented Miles is etc etc it was a little bizarre to be back there for an intimate dinner party hosted by James Gager, Senior Vice President of M.A.C not to mention the photographer himself. I don’t know whether you’ve been to the exhibition (if you haven’t go right now!) but if you’ve visited Somerset House’s Embankment Galleries then you can probably imagine how stunning a scene they set for such a soirée. Add to that Aldridge’s arrestingly offish images on the walls and a guest list including Daphne Guinness (wearing THE most incredible McQueen gown), Marissa Montgomery, Tallulah Harlech, Portia Freeman, Daisy Bates, Jade Parfitt, Marina Diamandis, Eliza Doolittle, Caroline Rush and the ever brilliant at a party Chloe Nørgaard then you’ve got yourself a very memorable evening indeed! Having accidentally arrived earlier than Serena I spent a few minutes looking very intently at my phone, wishing it actually had any signal until thankfully people I knew well enough to latch onto turned up. After several hours mingling, checking out the exhibition and generally having a very good time it was finally time to eat. I found myself sitting with Daisy Bates (actress, writer, ridiculously gorgeous and witty to boot), Portia Freeman, Bip Ling and Maddison Brudenell who proved to be perfect tablemates. The food was, unsurprisingly, sublime and once I’d gotten over my “ohmigod I’m at dinner with Daphne Guinness” moment (second glass of champagne cured that) the whole thing was a lot of fun.

Pour Moi?

Dinner is served…

With Bip Ling & Daphne Guinness

With Daisy Bates

Daphne turned out to be lovely, friendly and not at all scary (glass number three was enough Dutch courage to give me the cojones to say hello) as did everyone else and we all stayed on for many an apéritif afterwards. Suddenly I had a call from a courier announcing my outfit for party number two had arrived. And yes, this really happened, I was as gobsmacked as you no doubt are. That night’s schedule also held the Dazed Magazine x I.T London Street Takeover Party at Selfridges. The lovely folk there had invited and offered to “dress” me for the occasion. Naturally my answer was an equally great, big YES but it posed a slight issue as I wouldn’t have time to nip home and change between shows and dinner. They sent me the (seriously cool) outfit, I did a high speed change in the loo and then me, Serena, Bip and Maddison leapt in a cap and tore off to party number two. By the time we arrived at Selfridges the party was in full swing with psychedelic clusters of mylar balloons everywhere courtesy set designer Gary Card and Pixie Lott, Molly King, Susie Lau and (weirdly) Noel Fielding on the dancefloor. We were treated to performances from The Kills’ Alison Mosshart and Zebra Katz… What an evening!

Your’s truly wearing I.T London

The Kills’ Alison Mosshart

Susie Lau

Striking a pose with Maddison Brudenell & Serena Guen

Zebra Katz on stage

My day 2 show schedule was basically back-to-back up to 9pm by which point, as I’m sure you can imagine, I was a little on the fatigued side having “popped” into the Braganza after party on my way home from Selfridges and ended up staying rather later than was strictly sensible the night before. But there were people to see and places to be, plus the lovely Drapers team offered to give me a lift from Richard Nicoll to the Brown Focus Relaunch bash so how could I really say no?

Unfortunately disaster struck when my entire right stiletto heel snapped off halfway down Bond Street. I very nearly called it a night there and then but it seemed silly to go home when I could literally see fashion week fun being had mere metres away. So I put on a brave face and decided to attempt a night out on tiptoe (singular)… I mean, who even looks at your feet anyway? By the time we arrived the place was packed fit to burst, the music pumping courtesy of DJ Seb Chew and Eliza Doolittle, Pixie Lott and Brian Lichtenberg (the man responsible for those cult hit “Homies” and “Féline” tees) busting moves on the dancefloor. According to Tatler Bystander, I also got my groove on. This is not strictly true. For once in my life I was not to be found busting embarrassing moves on the dancefloor, more bobbing ungracefully around the edges. There is only so long a girl can last with one shoe and after a cosmo or two I gave up and hobbled off in the direction of the nearest taxi. While I was pretty peeved, the next day I was slightly thankful (and very, very smug) for my early bedtime as I heard from several reliable and cripplingly hungover sources that the night got pretty crazy.

Cocktail o’clock at Browns

Not both for me, I promise…

Rebekah Roy, Kate Nash & Courtney Blackman at Browns

Eliza Doolittle & Pixie Lott at Browns

If you spotted my day 4 post then you’ll already know that the Sunday of LFW was a good’un and despite the fact it was pouring with rain as I left Mary Katranztou I was definitely in the mood for a night on the town. After a high speed trip home to change out of my damp-dog scented clothes (couldn’t be bothered to dig out an umbrella, bad call) and into the pink PVC pencil skirt I’ve been dying to wear for what seems like a lifetime, it was back onto the underground (glam or what?) and on to party number one. As you probably already know, Belstaff have recently opened a whopping, super swish flagship store (click here to see my post on it) and unveiled none other than David Beckham as the face of their AW13 campaign. Unsurprisingly, the party they threw in celebration of this double whammy of awesome was pretty major. Half of Bond Street had been cordoned off allowing David to pull up, Belstaff clad, on a motorbike in full view of us partygoers, God knows how many papa and numerous gobsmacked passers by. Once inside, things only got more fabulous. The place was literally crammed fit to burst with A-listers and industry insiders including none other than Anna Wintour who was positively beaming as she posed arm in arm with Becks… Well, you would be, right?

Need I say more?

David Beckham & Anna Wintour

Moi

Harley Viera Newton

Doing a role call of “notable attendees” would go on forever and get boring but suffice to say, basically a lot of very famous and fabulous people were there. Once I’d finally managed to locate Serena, we, along with Alistair Guy and a few decamped to the London Edition hotel (if you haven’t heard of it/been change that asap, it’s the place to see and be seen right now). The place played host to many a fash bash this season and Sunday’s line up included the launch of Voyage D’Etudes – an extremely stylish site about travel, culture and all things work knowing launched by Purple Magazine’s Creative Director, Paula Goldstein – and the Dominic Jones after party. Frankly though, even if you hadn’t snagged an invite to either, it would have been worth hitting up the Edition because the whole place had been pretty much taken over by the international fashion crowd. I bumped into Scott Schuman (AKA the Sartorialist) at the bar, ANTIPODIUM’s Geoffrey J Finch in the lobby and Adrian “A” Sauvage on the dancefloor downstairs. We minced, we mingled and then Nik Thakkar and Ada Zanditon turned up (independently amazing duo behind hotter-than-hot new menswear label Ada x Nik) and we all set off on a madcap journey to East London that somehow ended up back on my (West London) sofa. I think it’s safe to say that a very good time was had by all involved. Except perhaps, my poor sofa, which sustained Reese’s Pieces related injuries I still haven’t been able to remove.

By day 5 my post New York longing for tea, bed and not-leaving-the-house-again-ever had somewhat returned. But, my fashion loving friends, a night in my PJs was not on the cards and buoyed up by fantastic show line up I found myself pumped for the Diesel Reboot party at The Serpentine… What can I say, Christopher Kane followed by Burberry will do that to a girl! I had been forewarned that the party would be taking place outside, to which I though PAH! I did bare legs today I can handle anything! Never fall into this trap. If it’s 10 degrees, drizzly and you’re going to be in the open air, wear something sensible, maybe even trousers and a cashmere vest, for God’s sake! Luckily the goings on that night at The Serpentine were spectacular enough to make up for a little frostbite and once I’d guzzled a few cocktails and practically inhaled a (gourmet organic fresh sourdough blah blah blah but yummy) pizza, all earlier chilliness was thankfully forgotten. It was an epic night on many a level. A large proportion of my favourite fashion folk were also braving the elements including the ever wonderful Diesel team, Chloe Nørgaard and her photographer boyf, Kristian Shmidt, Jaques Fath, Courtney Blackman, Notion Online Editor Seb Law, Miles Aldridge, Naomi and many more. Somewhere between bumping into Nicola Formechetti in the loos (casual) and piling into a photo booth with Chloe, Kristian and Miles to take some very silly pictures, the Sugarbabes and Aluna George played and we all hit the dancefloor.

Freeeeeezing!

Jaques Fath, Chloe Nørgaard & Kristian Shmidt

Susie Lau

Me & Nicola Formichetti

Clara Paget

Courtney Blackman, Miles Aldridge & me

Aluna George in action

The night ended rather later than intended (don’t they all) when instead of taking the 15 minute bus ride home I threw caution to the wind and headed to the after party at Le Baron. Perhaps a little unwise with a 9am show the next day but I made Anya Hindmarch’s crack-of-dawn start time and anyway, you only live once.

Love Ella. X

Share

5 Thoughts on London Lates

[…] folklore meets boudoir subversion, SS14 was sublime. And then, of course, there were the parties. On night one I dined with Serena, Bip Ling, Daphne Guinness, Tallulah Harlech, Sasha Wilkins and […]

[…] additions this season and I so wish I could have worn a necklace like this with them at the Belstaff bash during London Fashion Week. When wearing pieces this in-your-face-fabulous I always think the trick […]

[…] additions this season and I so wish I could have worn a necklace like this with them at the Belstaff bash during London Fashion Week. When wearing pieces this in-your-face-fabulous I always think the trick […]

[…] I saw this baby in the window of Topshop and stopped in my tracks. I first wore the skirt at the Belstaff bash during London Fashion Week and, while I adore it, haven’t managed to give it another outing […]